Wake up Shukaku! A Wild Night is Born
by Gaara-no-Jo
Summary: Temari drags her siblings back to Konoha. While she flirts with a certain chuunin, Gaara goes off to spend his time in solitude. A stiff wind beckons him to the warm glow of a bar. There's Naruto and the Fifth Hokage. A drinking game? Uhoh...
1. A Trip to Konoha! Introduction to Booze

**Chapter 1**

Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba, along with his floppy eared white dog, Akamaru, were sitting outside the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, chucking stone across the road and talking about the boring events of Konoha. There was no training that day but the day of relaxing was nothing to look forward to since there was nothing interesting to do.

"Ne, Shikamaru want to go swimming?" Kiba offered, scratching Akamaru on the head. "It's a nice day for it, y'know."

Shikamaru sighed and leaned back against a tree. He watched the lazy movements of the clouds and a dragonfly flit across his field of vision. "Nope. Too much trouble. I'll have to go back home all wet and then my mom will bitch and moan about me getting a cold. Tch. She's a pain sometimes."

"Sounds to me like you're just lazy," said a woman's voice from down the road. Shikamaru and Kiba looked over. Akamaru barked and ran over to Kankuro, jumping up and down. Kankuro, knelt and gave the dog a little pat. Gaara was, as ever, distantly standing in the shadows.

Shikamaru leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He tried to give Temari his usual nonchalant look but the way she was grinning was contagious and he couldn't help but to smile right back. However, that didn't prevent him from cracking a joke at them. "Look who came back. Can't you annoy someone else's village or did Sandgakure kick you out?"

Temari walked over, punched him in the arm softly. "Why bother my own village when it's so much more fun to annoy you?" They stared at each other for a few moments simply smiling. Temari wanted to give him a hug but instead she crossed her itching arms. Shikamaru, feeling the same, put his hands in his pockets. The other never realizing that they wanted the same thing.

Kiba and Kankuro looked between the two, slightly confused. "Actually, we have some off time I so I figured I'd come here for a spell," she said looking back at her brothers.

The Konoha boys looked over to Kankuro and Gaara. Kankuro still had his puppet and Gaara was not the type to take a pleasure trip. "You guys, too?" Kiba asked pointing, his expression dubious.

Kankuro shrugged. "She dragged us along. Not like we can say no. She's unexpectedly psycho, you know." Temari glared back and Kankuro and stuck out her tongue. Kankuro mimicked her. It happened all to often when they were kids.

Gaara shook his head a little and started walking towards the great doors marked "peace" in hiragana. The others looked after him for a while but no one said anything. It was too typical to be marked with any comment but Gaara was like an omen looming over an otherwise sunny day. Would something set him off? It was anyone's guess.

"Hey! We were about to go swimming! Want to come?" Kiba quipped. Shikamaru groaned. "What? Come one, you're mom can't get mad if you're with your girlfr-" Kiba ground his teeth as he found a kunai poking his spine painfully. Shikamaru gave him a sidelong glance. Kiba smiled nervously. "Well, we could do something else…I think."

"Good call."

Temari shrugged, clasping her hands in front of her. "Sure. I'm up for anything." Shikamaru smiled, as the thought crossed his mind that her hair was cute when she stood like that. So he turned around and started walking.

"Let's go walk around. I'll show you some cool places to hang if you're bored." Akamaru let out a yip and took off ahead of them, occasionally looking back.

Gaara had wandered around most of the day and night was beginning to approach. He avoided his family and their friends. Seeing them happy made him glad but at the same time it filled him with a burning rage. He could never understand their fun or their jokes… or their past. His idea of entertainment was not being angry long enough to enjoy his surroundings. This meant not being around people. But it was a sad existence and still it was unsatisfying. Killing was nice but only while he was doing it. A short adrenaline rush where the Shukaku enjoyed a small reign of freedom.

The wind blew and tossed up some debris from the street. Gaara shielded his eyes. He looked across the street for some refuge from wind and noticed Tsundade, the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure drinking with a friend he hardly recognized. The man had while silver hair and a peculiar forehead protector with the character oil on it. She looked like she was having a great time. Suddenly, a familiar young boy appeared. It was Naruto. He made some comment and Tsunade had him in a headlock. This amused the older man until she put them both in a headlock.

Curious, Gaara crossed the street and stood at the edge of the glass watching and trying to catch what he could of the conversation within. He had only been standing there for a few minutes when Naruto looked up and saw him. Gaara tried to slink into the shadows but Naruto was too quick and was out the door and in front of him before he could even get a way properly.

"I thought I saw you. Why are you here?" He asked, seemingly genuinely happy to see him.

"Temari wanted to come here for a visit. Kankuro and I came with her. We'll only be here for a few days."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Too bad it's so short." Gaara did not reply or move. "AH! I have an idea. Come on and say high to Tsundade-she's really a 50 year old grandma- and Jiraiya -he's a pervert."

"Why would I want to meet people like that?"

Naruto took his hand and started tugging. "Because… they're actually cool people but…um…don't tell them I said that, okay. It'd be bad if they thought I respected them." He grinned mischievously and finally managed to coax Gaara into following him.

Once inside, Gaara was hit with the sound of building full of loud, drunk people. It was almost too much for him but he endured. Naruto pulled up a sit next to Jiraiya and let Gaara take his old spot. Gaara sat down, resting his gourd against the nearby wall. Tsunade gave him a glassy stare for a second before hugging him suddenly.

"It's the little Sand Demon, Gaara!" Gaara flinched. How did she have the nerve to hug him and call him that like it was a title to be adored? "How are you, kiddo?" Gaara didn't answer and Tsunade was too drunk to care. "Right now, I'm challenging Hedgehog Head hear to a drinking game. Who do you think will win? Guess."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You're both about to pass out. Don't expect me to carry you home either. I'm just here to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Jiraiya clocked Naruto on the skull with his fist. "HEY! Where do YOU get off talking to US about doing something stupid?! Eh!?" Naruto lost his temper and started pulling Jiraiya's hair. "ACK!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE STUPID! Perverted bastard!"

Gaara started to stand up but Tsunade took his wrist and held him down. Gaara glared at her hand on his wrist. "Don't go, don't go. We're just getting started. Hey! You two act like civilized human beings. You're being rude to Gaara-kun." Jiraiya and Naruto exchanged glances of truce and settled down. "Right. Jiraiya… shall we stop stalling and continue."

Jiraiya was as red as Gamabunta but her nodded all the same. Tsunade poured two small cups and set the bottle down. "Drink number …149. Let's not forget I had you down at 230, Pincushion."

"And I had you the time before at 228, Wrinkles." Tsunade twitched at this and they both emptied their cups at the same time. Naruto started talking to Gaara about the events of the day but the red-haired boy only half listened. He let the loud noise carry him away and he lay absorbed into his own thoughts.

That was until drink 245. Jiraiya was wobbling dangerously. Naruto had him by the shoulders and Tsunade was ready to claim victory though she too looked a little under the weather. Jiraiya slammed his palm down on the table. "I'm not leaving this bar until I've seen you get you comeuppance, hag! Naruto!" He pulled Naruto into the booth seat and sat a drink in front of him. "Take over for me!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto was on the seat ready to punch Jiraiya's lights out. "I'm not your guinea pig!"

"Consider it training brat! If you can't finish off this old mare then you'll never become Hokage!" These words were magic. Naruto promptly sat down and looked across the table at Tsunade.

He grinned. "I'll have you out in three drinks, Tsunade-obasan!"

She grinned back. "Three drinks? Heh. Let's do it."

Three drinks later, Jiraiya was lamenting over Naruto's passed out body. "Damn, maybe I should have started him out on something lighter." He scratched his head. "Well, at least his survived one…"

Tsunade leaned back in her seat. "Giving up, Cactus Skull?"

"NEVER!…"Tsunade's comment gave him and idea. Gaara was snatched out of his reverie as Jiraiya planted him in front of the bottle of sake. "I'll use this kid as my stand in!"

"When will you learn," the Hokage shook her head like a wise sage. "Kids just aren't up to adult challenges."

Gaara was ready to leave. He had enough when, Tsunade made a comment he couldn't not ignore. "Besides, he's no where near as spirited as your last stand in. He's probably loads weaker than Naruto. He won't last a drink."

"I'll last longer than a drink," Gaara said calmly sitting back down. "Don't compare me with that kid. I'm not someone that you can easily underestimate."

Tsundae raise an eyebrow and poured the drink. "You think so? Let's see if you're not all talk, kid." With that, Gaara and Tsunade turned the bottoms of their cups up in unison.

The liquor was warm as it went down and settled in his stomach. The taste lingered in his mouth since it was so strong but in a few moments he felt relaxed. What was it that made Naruto succumb to this feeling. Curiously, Gaara held out his cup. "More." Jiraiya was snoozing in the chair previously occupied by him. Tsunade simple whistled and poured him another cup. Again they drank. Gaara felt more relaxed than last time. The warmth felt good as it spread over his body. He held out his cup. "More."

"Wow, you're not even missing a beat. Better take it easy since this is you first time."

Gaara took the bottle and poured them both another drink. "I'm going to win this. So shut up and drink." He turned the cup up and looked at her. Tsunade felt a second wind coming from Gaara's challenging gaze and they both drank for another hour before Tsunade was too drunk to focus.

Just then Kankuro walked in and over to their table. "This is where you've been. Good thing I walked by this way…" He looked at Tsunade. The Fifth Hokage was grappling with consciouness. Gaara, ignoring Kankuro, tipped up his glass. Tsunade tried to drink but instead placed her forehead on the table in a silent defeat.

"Okay. Let's go," Gaara's cheeks were slightly flushed but nothing was much different about him. As he got up, however, the world spun around him. Colors began merging and he had the feeling that he was falling, falling…

Kankuro caught the red-haired shinobi as he passed out. "You were drinking?" An amused smile replaced the shock. "They never notice until they stand up. At least he held his own." Kankuro, his puppet on his back, picked Gaara up like an infant and left the bar. He figured the Konoha citizens would take care of their own. They weren't friends of his.

Halfway to the hotel, Gaara began to stir. The middle Sand child stopped and put Gaara in a standing position. Honestly, he was getting tired carrying him around. "Hey, wake up."

Gaara looked at his hands and smiled. "I am awake… Very awake."

Kankuro tilted his head. "You okay? Let's go home and get you a cold shower so you can sober up." He tried to put his hand on his little brother's shoulder but Gaara caught it. He held him firmly causing Kankuro's heart to begin to beat furiously. Gaara looked up and smiled happily.

"Why go home? The night's still young!"


	2. Drink and be Merry! Is this Really Sabak...

O-o

**Chapter 2**

Kankuro and Gaara stood in the middle of the empty street. The wind passed by again, stirring their hair. Kankuro didn't know what to do. Here was his little brother, grinning at him and asking him to party. For anyone but him, this would not be abnormal. But where his little brother was anything _but_ normal, he was a tad bit concerned.

Gaara let go of him and waved dismissively taking a few steps away. "I'm going to enjoy myself, with or without you. Tch. This clothes won't do at all! I'm not some bratty child. No one will take me seriously dressed like this." The gourd left back at the bar dissolved, terrifying a concerned attendant and slid like a living thing to where Gaara stood. It swirled around him and attached to him. His clothing completely changed. He was in a black trench coat with a black suit underneath. There were multiple necklaces and bracelets and rings. Gaara unbuttoned a few buttons on his red shirt, exposing some of his chest and looked back at Kankuro. "Ladies love a bad-ass in black, you know." He looked Kankuro up and down. "Or maybe you wouldn't."

Kankuro growled but realized this was not a situation to get indignant about. Gaara was acting stranger than usual. Temari would kill him if he didn't make sure that their younger brother didn't get into trouble. "Shut up. I'm going with you, whether you like it or not."

Gaara smiled and gave him a 'V' sign. "More the merrier, Kan-kun." Gaara snapped his fingers and the sand flew towards a man about to light a cigarette. He screamed. Kankuro was ready react but the sand merely plucked the cigarette and lighter from the man's hands and returned them to Gaara. Gaara put it in his mouth and turned on the lighter ready to ignite the cigarette.

"HEY! You can't smoke! Temari would KILL me if I let you do that!" Kankuro was ready to snatch the contraband from Gaara's mouth but a familiar look stopped him cold in his tracks.

"I'll kill you if you get in my way. So relax or get crushed. Wakaru?" Gaara lit the cigarette and tossed it back to the man, who was shaking in shock. "Thanks for the light!" Kankuro groaned. It was going to be a long, long, night.

As they were walking, a few ladies glanced there way and giggled. Kankuro smiled. The attention was nice, even if he was being forced around by his kid brother. Gaara suddenly stopped and looked back at him. "This isn't working. You look like a clown."

"Hey!"

"Ladies won't give the love if you look like that." Suddenly the sand surrounded Kankuro. He wanted to scream for help but he couldn't manage a sound. In seconds the sand was gone and he was without his clothes or make-up. He was simply dress in black slacks, a grey shirt, and black vest.

"Ah…what the…"

Gaara ran his fingers through his hair and smiled. "Let's go into this bar. I saw some real foxes go inside. And I'm not talking about the kind you make coats out of. Hehe…" He walked inside.

Kankuro looked up at the sign on the top of the building. "Jiggles and Jugs Bar". "Jig…gles…Oh ….f-" He didn't finish but rushed inside. The bar was packed full and with Gaara's short stature he was nowhere to be seen. "Gaara!? Where did he go, I was right behind him…"

Some girls began laughing and giggling. Kankuro looked over to the bar and there in between a small group of scantily clad women was his brother, putting the umbrella of his drink into the cleavage of one of the girls.

"My god…Temari is going to rip out my soul and beat my body with it then, kill me slowly…" Kankuro suddenly wanted to cry. "Gaara!" He forced his way over to the group. "Gaara, are you sure we should be…" Suddenly, a supple arm was wrapped around his body from behind.

"Hey, there cutey! My name is Ichigo Ame." She pink hair and more curves than Gaara's gourd. Kankuro gave Gaara look. The boy only raised his glass in a silent 'cheers'. Kankuro suddenly wanted to hug his little brother and build a shrine in his honor.

"WOO! I love strawberries and candy! You're in luck!" He turned around and hugged the model back.

An hour later, Gaara and Kankuro stumbled out of Jiggles, laughing. The leaned on each other, Kankuro leaned over to hold his stomach, which was hurting from laughing.

"Having fun, big brother?" Gaara, put his hand on his brother's back.

"Are you kidding?! Did you SEE the girls in there??"

"I did more than see them." Gaara grinned. Kankuro gave him a blank look then started cackling.

"You're nuts…You're really nuts, you know that?" He stood up and tousled Gaara's hair. "Where to next? It's like 3 in the morning."

Gaara seemed to contemplate. "You ever… karaoke?"

"No."

"Me neither! Let's go!" Kankuro complied and Gaara took them to a bustling karaoke bar. It turned out that they both liked the same kind of music: deep, busy, and for the most part rebellious. They ordered food and drinks and at some point, Gaara convinced some girls from a neighboring booth join them.

"But those are girlfriends!", cried their boyfriends who looked rather put out.

Gaara crosses his arms. "Well…looks like they want to hang with us now, doesn't it?" Kankuro cracked his knuckles, dangerously.

Things were going good until Gaara put them both in what looked like the beginnings of a Desert Coffin and Kankuro was suddenly snapped back into the reality of the situation. "Ah…Gaara, come on. If you kill them, it'll ruin our fun."

"But if I kill them, it will be very funny to me." Gaara squeezed them a little and the boys whimpered.

Kankuro knew he had to think quick. "But…if you kill them…we can't get the girls to go out with us again. You know how women are about these things…" Gaara seemed to consider this and let them go.

"Women are so picky…" He shrugged and went back to their booth. Kankuro took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and joined the party again. How long would he be able to keep Gaara occupied from killing again?

After the karaoke, Kankuro yawned and checked the time. "It's almost sunrise…" Gaara yawned in response. He was looking a little worn down after their ordeal with the jilted boyfriends. "You okay?"

"Yeah…"

"Let's head back. There's not much to do now."

"Hey…let's do this tomorrow night."

"Really?"

Gaara grinned and winked. "I'll meet you at Jiggles. Midnight." With that he started to leave.

"Where are you going, Gaara?" Kankuro blinked. "We should go home." Gaara just waved and disappeared down the street. The sand dropped off of Kankuro suddenly and he was back in his old clothes. He scratched his head and started home. He wasn't ready to tell Temari what happened just yet so when she asked, he said he just partied all night. She got on his case for not finding Gaara and "shirking his responsibilities as older brother" but somehow he was looking forward to the night. Whatever had gotten into Gaara all of a sudden as a lot of fun and he hoped it would stick around for a little while longer.


	3. Outfoxed! Konoha's New Number One Pranks...

Notes:

The Tanuki is also a trickster in Japanese mythology along with his friend the kitsune. This chapter is a play on that relationship.

Natto: fermented soybeans said to smell bad (I personally can't smell them)

Kusai: kusai is a Japanese adjective meaning "smelly" or "stinky".

I promise it will all work out for Naruto in the end. :P

(o)

Naruto yawned as he rolled out of bed. Literally. He hopped off of his floor in a little bit of shock and pain and looked around. His room was clean-ish, if you excluded all the scrolls laying around on tables, floors or half-unrolled in their shelves. He was hardly there enough to cause in real mess.

Scratching his head, he stumbled over to his bathroom and reached for the toothpaste and his toothbrush. As he groped, he opened his eyes long enough to look in the mirror. He had been vandalized. Someone in the course of the night had drawn on his face with permanent marker.

"AAH!! What the hell?!" He turned on the water and tried to wash the graffiti off of his face but it wasn't working. "Who the hell?!" As he scrubbed, he wracked his brains trying to figure out who would be capable, who would be so devious, as to pull this kind of prank.

Realizing he would not succeed with just water he grabbed his soap and lathered it up putting to his face. He rinsed it off and checked on his progress. After 5 minutes of soap and water, the marker was gone but his face was green. He looked at the soap. It was had been sabotaged with dye.

"AAAAAH!! DAMMIT!" Naruto gave up when he realized he could do nothing. He grumbled as he stalked to the kitchen and opened his fridge. However, he immediately had to shut it. His eyes were wide in disbelief. The deviant that had tinted his face had also placed his handiwork in his fridge. There was a skunk inside, munching on leftovers. "You son-of-a…." He opened the fridge just a tad to make sure he weren't having a nightmare.

The skunk looked up at him and he looked down at the skunk. It wiggled its nose as it sniffed up at him. Naruto sniffed the fridge. He would never eat again. Maybe if he just opened the door a tad and let it out, he could safely be rid of it. Nodding at this thought, he opened the door and backed off. The skunk waddled out but instead of going away, it headed straight for him.

"Ah ah…stay back…um…please?" The skunk however climbed into his lap and rubbed against him. Tears streamed down the blonde genin's face. Why him? Why a skunk? He picked the offending mammal up gently and went outside to drop it off by the garbage cans where it's stench would be less noticeable. He ran back inside and locked the door. However, somehow the skunk was right behind him. "ACK!" He tried again with same results. "How the hell did I get stuck with Konoha's only ninja skunk??" The skunk wiggled it's nose at him in response.

Smelly and green, Naruto walked to his bathroom (Skunk in tow) and tried to turn on his shower. It wouldn't turn on. For once in his life, Naruto had been struck silent. This was not happening to him. He looked up into the showerhead and notice a string was in the tube. Experimentally, he pulled on it and was immediately sprayed by a torrent of water as the entire showerhead structure came apart. "…."

Naruto sighed and grabbed his bar of soap and began scrubbing as he showered under a veritable typhoon. But in his desire to get the smell of skunk off of his body, he forgot that the soap was sabotaged and ended up green all over. He took one look in the mirror and let loose a yell that rivaled ten nine-tailed fox demons. It even caused people in the street to stop and look at his home in confusion.

Naruto and his new friend named Kusai left his home shortly after. Naruto was covered head to toe to hide his now green skin. His stomack rumbled in protest and demanded breakfast. So he went to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey, Naruto! Whoaaaa-" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku and one of Naruto's best friends, covered his nose. "You smell like three-day old natto. You need a bath."

"I know, I know…Hey, can I have a double of order of ramen and gyoza today. I need it."

"Sure thing but uh…" the old man rubbed his neck and smiled apologetically. "Could you eat it…outside?" Naruto looked disbelieving but understood the circumstances. He really wished that he could find the bastard responsible for this.

Once he got his order of ramen, he sat outside and began eating. He looked all the world like a beggar and people made a wide circle to keep away from him and stay upwind of him. He looked down at Kusai, who looked up lovingly. Sighing, he gave the skunk his order of gyoza and patted it on the head.

Later on that day, he ran into Sasuke who was twirling kunai on his fingers as he mused on a park bench. "SASUKE!" He ran over and took his hand. "PLEASE! LET ME TAKE A SHOWER!!" Sasuke looked at him at first giving him a strange look and peeled back the hood.

"Na…Naruto?" The sight caused the Uchiha to crack a smile. "You smell like…" He looked down and saw Kusai. "And why are you green?"

"Someone played a prank on me and I WILL get them back!" He raised his fist. "But first…PLEASE!!! LET ME BORROW YOUR BATHROOM!" Naruto bowed repeatedly. Sasuke shook his head and sighed but nodded.

Not green and not stinky, he jumped out of the bathroom, feeling the best he'd ever felt. Now people wouldn't look at him any funnier than usual. Sasuke was petting Kusai as he sat on the floor. "It's pretty tame for…well…a skunk. Why do you have it?"

Naruto plopped on the ground and gave the skunk an irritated look. "I dunno! It was in my fridge and now it's following me around. I can't get rid of it." He tossed a piece of candy to it.

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "Sounds like you've met your match. All your life you've been Konoha's number one prankster. Now…you're getting outfoxed." Naruto's jaw dropped.

"I have to get my title back!" He hopped up and ran outside in a huff. Sasuke shook his head.

"Today's a good day to stay inside…"

Naruto was sitting around thinking. Wracking his brains. Who…who could it be? Was it Konohamaru?? Naruto did teach him everything he knew. Yes, that's precisely who it was. He stood up but found an angry Ino looking at him.

"WHY DID YOU GRAFFITI MY SHOP?!!"

"What?"

She grabbed him by the color looking like she was going to kill him. "There are pigs and spirals all over the side of our building! I'm going to kill you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"But-but Ino! I didn't do it! I swear!" Naruto waved his hands frantically.

"I don't care what you say! You're going to clean it up before my dad finds out and pummels both you AND me into the ground!" She dropped him and shoved a bucket of soapy water and a brush into his arms. Naruto looked dumbfounded. First being duped and now being set up. Konohamaru was going to get a severe beat down.

Two hours later, Ino's shop wall now cleaner than it had been since it opened, Naruto was left off of duty. He was hopping mad. He was halfway to the Hokage's place of residence when he ran into Tsunade herself. He raised his hand to say hello but she bopped him on the head before he could say anything.

"OW!! WHAT THE HELL-!!"

"What's with stealing my sake and putting sand in the bottles? Huh??" The boy blinked in confusion.

"Why would I steal your stupid booze?! It was Konohamaru, I swear!" he said in his defense. Tsunade puffed up and shook her head.

"He's on a field trip! You should at least get you lies right."

He smacked his forehead. Back to square one…" I AM HAVING A BAD DAY!" he declared. Tsunade grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Well, it gets better. You get to hang with me all day and by me lunch and dinner and take me to pachinko." Naruto struggled in her grip. "Yes….that's a fitting punishment! HA!"

After a few moments, Naruto realized that is was futile. He was been outdone. There was a rasengan waiting for this new trickster. Oh yes. As he walked with Tsunade, he caught a glimpse of a black garbed boy about his age. It looked and awful lot like Gaara but he as smiling and giving him a strange smile. As Naruto passed him, the boy waved as if he new Konoha's number one problem child.

But Naruto had no idea who he was and before he could call back, he was being hurled into a noisy pachinko parlor.


	4. Something Awry: Temari Investigates!

Sorry this chapter was a little late but it's nice and long for all your waiting! Enjoy and review if you like. --G-chan

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Temari yawned as laid back in her bed. She has spent the day shopping with Shikamaru and talking. It was a nice change from the boring life back home. Kankurou stayed out of her way and she hadn't seen Gaara since they arrived. She was a little worried but since nothing happened that she heard about she assumed that he was keeping out of trouble and probably to his own company.

It was a sad thought, she mused, that Gaara was only able to find peace by staying by himself. It was partly why she pushed Kankurou to be more of an older brother to him and less of a bully. She was still a little pissed off that he didn't bring Gaara home last night but he promised to look for him again tonight.

And so that is where he was now. However, she didn't expect that he would really go and look from him. Instead, of his usual raiment, Kankurou was rather dressed up. She couldn't imagine that he found a girlfriend. He was a big hog and a dork. What girl would date him? But she couldn't deny that he did look nice when he tried.

Which lead to another question. Why was he trying to hard and why only at night? If he found a girlfriend, wouldn't he want to spend all day with her and not just at night? Temari sat up in bed, something deep inside telling her that something was not right. Today was a little strange, now that she reflected.

Not was Kankurou acting strange there was a lot of fuss about some prankster today. Shikamaru had assured her that is was probably Naruto but when she saw him being dragged into the pachinko parlor he looked utterly confused as to what was going on. And not only that she saw a strange boy walking around that reminded her of Gaara but he was very different…

The feeling that something was not right wouldn't leave her alone so she got out of bed and got dressed to get some fresh air. The night was cool and crisp. It felt good but she still felt uneasy. She thought back to an earlier conversation with Kankurou…

"_I hope Gaara's keeping out of trouble. He always seems so lonely."_

"_He's fine."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_Because, we're brothers. I know things about Gaara that would make your head explode."_

"_Like what?"_

"_It's a secret among brothers."_

"_When did you get so close?"_

"_Oh…I dunno. Some of the strangest things can bring people together."_

Temari stopped as she walked and narrowed her eyes. Kankurou had lied to her…He did find Gaara that night. He knew something. "That's it…I'm going to kill him." With new resolve she stalked off to find them.

The first places she looked were the quiet places; training ground, park, cemetery, hell, she even looked in the library but neither Gaara nor Kankurou were anywhere to be found. She stopped in front of a small restaurant and pondered. Where could they be? She looked inside, wondering if they were within and assumed that they were off eating somewhere.

With that she began to search high and low, in every eatery, and stand-up restaurant she could find but still there was no luck in locating them.

"Excuse me," she finally asked a waitress taking a tray up to be cleaned. "Have you seen a red-haired boy and an older boy with brown hair? One boy should have a gourd."

The waitress seemed to think about it. "Well, I know some guys that fit the description, maybe, but neither of them carry a gourd around." Temari sighed.

"Well, the red-haired boy will have the kanji "love' on his head for sure. It's hard to miss." Temari stressed her point by pointing to the location on her own forehead. The waitress suddenly lit up and nodded enthusiastically.

"You mean Gaara and Kankurou! I met them last night. We did karaoke together." The waitress put down the tray and wiped her hands on her apron. Temari looked liked someone just told her that the sky was falling.

"Kara…oke? With…Gaara?" she stammered.

"Yeah, he's got a great voice and he sings really well."

"Gaara?"

"Yeah. Kankurou's not to bad either."

"Gaara did karaoke?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Did he like it?"

" He LOVED it! He's a real party animal." Temari stared at the young woman as though she were speaking a completely different language.

"Gaa-huh?" She shook her head. "No no no, we must have the wrong guy. My Gaara has blue eyes, kinda greenish. And he looks like he hasn't slept in ages."

"And he has a freckle on his chest right here, right?" The woman pointed to a spot on her chest. Temari nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's him-WHAT?! How do you know that????"

The waitress blushed. "Well, let's just say that karaoke isn't the only thing he's good at…" She giggled. Temari sank to the floor in shock. The world was spinning. She had somehow been forced into another dimension.

The waitress looked down at her. "Are you okay? He's not your boyfriend is he?" Temari shook her head.

"No…He's my little brother. My sweet little baby brother that used to carry a little teddy bear and cry all the time and never does anything bad…besides kill people… sometimes."

"Oh yeah…he tried to kill my ex with a Desert Coffin but Kankurou stopped him." It was all Temari could take. She passed out on the floor.

(66)

Kankurou snuck up on Gaara from behind, clasping his shoulders. Gaara turned, expecting him. "Hey. You're early," he responded.

Kankurou nodded, jovially slapping Gaara on the back a few times. "Well, little brother, I have to admit that I like hanging out with you. So I came early." Gaara smiled and nodded. "Hey, did you hear about all the crazy stuff that happened in Konoha?"

The red-haired child of the desert chuckled as he shoved his hand in his pockets. "I am all the crazy stuff that happened to Konoha." He peered at Kankurou's shocked visage from the corner of his eyes. "I hope the Nines is going to be pretty peed off if he figures out it was me."

"Nines?"

"Ah…I guess you all call him by Naruto." Gaara started walking off. "But that's neither here or there. How about we grab a bite to eat?"

Kankurou shrugged off his confusion. He hadn't really eaten too much during the day due to anticipation of tonight. "Sure. Where to?"

"Where else would I take family but to _Shinobi_, the best restaurant in Konoha." The eldest son of the former Kazekage stopped dead in his tracks. _Shinobi 's _was legendary among the upper class of not only Konoha but the entirety of the Fire Country. The first and last time he ate there his father only got him fries and rice assuring Young Kankurou that it was better that way.

"Aah…Gaara. That place is really expensive… I mean I've heard that people can't even afford the water," he said with concern.

Gaara waved his hand dismissively. "I have it covered. Don't worry. I have a lot more money than you think." Kankurou had to jog in order to catch up with Gaara but if his little brother was willing to assure him that they could afford it then he wouldn't pass up the chance.

The front of the building was done in a very traditional style with wooden pillars and two large wooden carved of _oni_, or low ranking demons. Rumor had it that the place was riddled with secret passage ways and that you never saw the face of the servers. The recipes were as secret as the jutsu in the Forbidden Scrolls. Reservations were unnecessary since it was harder than the Chuunin Examination to get into. Kankurou couldn't help but to wonder how the hell Gaara was going to pull this off.

They entered the building and a kunoichi in black silently led them up a flight of stairs to a room where there were two pillows and tea already waiting for them. Kankurou felt a little creeped out by the silence but Gaara plopped down on his pillow and guzzled the tea in front of him.

The walls were decorated with the tale of one shinobi against a dragon. It was beautifully down with gold sparkling all over it. Kankurou was afraid to sneeze in a place so high class so he sat down gingerly fidgeted a little. The cup must have been several hundred years old. It looked expensive.

"Gaara…Is this-" Kankurou started to speak but he noticed Gaara using his pinky to dig in his ear. It was in this atmosphere that he noticed how uncouth his little brother had become. Formerly, Gaara has more manners than Kankurou new any boy his age could have. Now he was trying to find a place to hide his ear wax. "Gaara, come on and act like a gentlemen. This is a once in a life time chance to eat here."

Blue eyes gave him a condescending look. "You're too sober and so am I." He reached out into thin air and from the ceiling descended a shinobi with a saké bottle. Gaara took it and pour two shot glasses for Kankurou and kept the entire bottle for himself. "If this is a 'once in a lifetime chance', then why are you acting so uptight. Live it up! It's not often that I get to do this anymore…"

"Anymore? Gaara have you-" Gaara cut him off by announcing that the food had arrived. Kankurou's jaw dropped when he saw the feast waiting for them. Suddenly, he realized Gaara was right to an extent. He was worrying too much. And maybe… he was too sober. He downed his two shots of saké and held out his hand for the bottle. "Gaara, have you… got anymore of that?"

(99)

Temari felt something cold on her forehead and opened her eyes. She was staring up at the waitress she was talking to before. "All you okay?" the young girl asked. Temari sat up and looked around. They had taken her to the managers office and laid her on the couch. How long had she been out?

"What happened?" Feeling a little dizzy, the eldest child of the sand lied back down. The waitress grabbed a glass of water and offered I to her but Temari refused it with a shake of her head.

"You were asking about Gaara and Kankurou but something I said sent you into shock." The waitress tilted her head. An apologetic smile was spread across her lips. "I guess some people aren't who you think they are."

"I guess not…But Gaara." Temari shook her head. "I don't believe it. This is totally out of character for him."

The waitress shrugged and straightened some papers. "Well, my mother always was saying that when you drink you're the exact opposite of how you act. Gaara put a few away while I was there and I'm sure he had been drinking before we met."

Temari sat up again quickly. "Gaara was drinking?" The girl nodded. Something clicked inside of her mind. It was a long shot at best but if she was right… "Hey, were did you see them hanging around?"

Kankurou lay beside Gaara on the warm tatami mat floors of the restaurant. He ate enough for three people and could barely move. Gaara looked as though he ate twice as much as he did and was staring into an empty saké bottle.

"They're out of alcohol? Time to go," the short sandnin grumbled. He jumped to his feet and headed for the shoji.

Kankurou didn't move. "Hey, Gaara. Can't we just lie here some more. I mean, partying is awesome, especially with you, but don't you just want to take it easy for a while?"

The expression on Gaara's face was unsettling. It was irritated and reluctant. It was if Gaara did not want to end his fun and had no intention of doing so anytime soon. However, soon they would have to return and the fun would have to end. What had happened?

Fearing what would happen if he didn't comply with his powerful younger brother, Kankurou stood up slowly and followed Gaara out docilely. He never saw the bill but it looked as though his brother paid out a fair bit for their meal and drinks.

The walk around town was quieter than it had been last night. Two nights of drinking and Kankurou felt as if instead of knowing his brother better he was coming up with more questions. This Gaara was entirely different. Fun for a while but now the fear of imminent danger was back with him.

"Hold it right there!" called out a voice from behind them. They boys turned and Temari was standing there, her fan at ready. "I want some answers."


	5. Sukebe! Shukaku is the Ultimate Pervert!

(00)

"KANKUROU!" She stomped over to him and stood right under him, glaring with all of her might. "Explain!"

Running his fingers through his shaggy brown hair, Kankurou gave a sigh. "Look, Temari. It's late and-"

She pinched his cheek and pulled him down closer to her. "I don't care how late it is. Why did I just hear from some random girl that Gaara is a good kisser!?"

Gaara grinned. "Well, I am!" Temari shot him a look but his expression didn't change.

She let go of Kankurou and looked at Gaara. He was indeed changed and he reeked of alcohol. He had been drinking and a lot of it. "Gaara, you realize that drinking underage is illegal right?" He shrugged dismissively. "Mom would have a heart attack if she were here." He yawned in response. She narrowed her eyes then turned back to Kankurou.

"What happened to him? And you had better be specific, Kankurou. I'm serious," she stressed with a menacing tone.

Kankurou caved into her demands. "Well, I went to find Gaara like you told me to that night and when I found him he was passed out from drinking but he woke up before we got home."

Temari tightened her fist. "Why didn't you tell me that Gaara was acting strange?"

"Well…I kind liked him like that and I thought you'd ruin the fun. I mean so he's a little drunk… at least he's not dangerous."

"NOT DANGEROUS??" Temari pointed at Gaara. "He tried to Sand Coffin two people and he's been pulling pranks on innocent people!" She turned to Gaara. "He's not Gaara… He's the Shukaku."

Gaara looked behind him then back at Temari pointed to himself. "Who? Me?" He grinned.

Temari smirked and pulled out a diagram from her pouch. "Yes, I have figured it all out. You see, after I discovered what kinds of things Gaara has been doing lately I began to formulate a theory." She pointed to a little stick figure of Gaara. "Our Gaara is very subdued. He doesn't sleep much, talk much, or party AT ALL. But over here we have a tanuki." She pointed to a crudely drawn tanuki. "Tanukis like three things: women, booze, and tricks." She pointed to a picture of Gaara looking inside of himself and the Shukaku looking out. "Our Gaara of course had the Shukaku demon inside of him. The Shukaku is a tanuki, yes? Yes. Now when some people drink alcohol." She pointed to a Stick Gaara drinking. "They become sleepy." She pointed to Stick Gaara asleep and drooling on the table. "When Gaara goes to sleep, the Shukaku comes out." She pointed to Stick Gaara with pointy teeth and Stick Kankurou looking scared. "But Gaara didn't fall into a normal sleep, he fell into a booze induced sleep. Making the Shukaku not desire to fight but to do what tanuki's do best: be troublesome." She rolled up her diagram.

Kankurou looked at Gaara in a funny manner. Shukaku-Gaara looked guilty. "You got me. Do you want a prize?"

"No what I want to do is to take you to Tsunade's to have you fixed," Temari growled. Kankurou moved away from Temari and closer to Gaara. There was a brief stare-down.

Gaara walked over to Temari, eyes closed and an amused smile on his face. "You're really something, Temari. You were always perceptive and intelligent. You deserve a prize."

Temari blushed at the compliments and Gaara's smooth words. Maybe this Shukaku wasn't all that bad. He certainly knew all the right things to say. Suddenly she felt warm hands on her chest. Gaara was grinning and groping her. "Hehe, you've filled out nicely for a whelp of the Kazekage," the possessed young boy said between cackles. Kankurou saw the vein in her forehead explode and the fire burn in her eyes but suddenly he had to cover himself as he was thrown back by a powerful force.

/(6.9)

Tsunade towered over the three of them in her office. Kankurou was looking like a beaten puppy, situation having gone from interesting, to confusing, to worst possible case in only two days. Temari had a mixture of guilt and excess anger on her face. And Gaara was giving Temari a harassed look. What the hell had happened?

The Fifth Hokage of Konoha sat down at the edge of her desk her arms crossed. "Why is there a crack down one of my streets?" was her first question. Gaara pointed to Temari.

Four blonde pigtails shook angrily. "Tsunade we have an emergency! It's Gaara," she yelled as she stood up. Tsunade looked a little shocked and gave Gaara a look. He looked the same as a few nights ago if not a little happier. "Gaara is currently being possessed by the Shukaku!"

The 50 year-old woman almost fell off her desk but she caught herself. This was not the Shukaku she had ever expected. Where was the transformation and the destruction? "You mean he caused that scar in the road?"

Temari shook her head. "That was me but only because Gaara…I mean, the Shukaku groped me and I lost my temper. But this is a serious situation! We need to wake Gaara up!"

Silence filled the air of the office as all eyes fell on the red-haired trouble sitting completely relaxed in his chair. Both of his arms were hanging languidly over the back of his chair and his legs were crossed. It was entirely apparent by the arrogant grin that getting Gaara back might involve a fight. Tsunade's over all assessment of the situation was that it was bad.

"So how did this happen?" She asked.

Kankurou spoke up since he had found Gaara this way. "He had been drinking, passed out, and when he woke up he was like this…" Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked at Tsunade. "Hey… Gaara was drinking with you! And Naruto! And some spiky haired dude. You were all passed out!" A weight had been lifted off of Kankurou's shoulders. It _wasn't_ his fault after all. It was none other than the Fifth Hokage that had caused this catastrophe! He was off the hook and looked rather smug about the fact.

Gaara chuckled." I drank that bitch under the table! Speaking of things under the table…Hey, Tsunade, how about you and me-"

"FAT CHANCE!" Tsunade was hot under the collar now. It was her fault? How? Why did she let him drink? Naruto was fine. Why wasn't _he_ fine? Dammit all, she thought angrily. "Right, so we need to wake Gaara up but while there is still alcohol in his system the Shukaku will just come right back out."

Temari nodded. Getting Gaara help was more important than throttling their only chance for hope. There was no quick way to eliminate the alcohol in his blood stream but keeping him here was going to be no easy task. The Shukaku clearly wanted to enjoy his time on the outside before getting shoved back into a pre-pubescent boy. His entire existence the last 12 years had centered around trying to catch Gaara off guard and escape. What should they do?

Gaara approached Tsunade, who was much taller, and looked up at her innocently. Perplexed, Tsunade looked back down. "You're pretty." The Hokage narrowed her eyes. What was he planning. Pan!" The Shukaku had his hands in the older woman's top. "Pretty well racked. I'm having a good day. These are the second ones I-"Tsunade screamed a battle cry and punched through the sand wall Gaara had instinctively put up. The Shukaku-possessed child looked frightened.

So shocked was the Shukaku that he found that he was too slow to adequately nullify Temari's attack from behind and found himself going into a deep dark sleep. Temari had a little guilt for hitting Gaara on the head so hard but she still hadn't properly avenged herself for what the Shukaku had done to her earlier. Kankurou was sitting on the floor and looking at the two women with intense fear. They were far more terrifying than a Desert Coffin right now.

Tsunade took Gaara over to a couch and began to work her medical ninja magic on Gaara. First, she needed to assess how much alcohol he had drank. Using her chakra, to form a link with the boy's blood stream, she began to concentrate on its contents. She opened her eyes in surprise. The blood alcohol level was high enough to kill Gaara if he were a normal boy. She would have to purge it all immediately before the Shukaku had time to regain consciousness. "This is going to be interesting…,"she said with a smirk.


	6. Sober! A Life in Shambles!

Gaara opened his eyes slowly, the light was terribly bright in his room for some reason. His whole body felt relaxed and rejuvenated but at the same time his head was throbbing and heavy. Why was he laying on a futon? He sat up and immediately regretted it. He wanted to throw up. He grabbed his head in an attempt to stop it from swirling.

The door swung up. Gaara felt as if he could hear ever grain of wood in it scream and pierce his brain. "Good morning, Gaara!" called out a chipper voice. A loud, happy, chipper voice that needed to shut up and go away. He opened and eye and looked up at Temari. She was looking at him intensely.

"What? Do? You? Want?" Gaara said each word separately. His tongue felt dirty and weighed down. Also, thinking of simple sentences made his throbbing head hurt more. What was going on?

"So, I see you're sober today. Go ahead and get cleaned up. A cold shower should do it. And take these." She handed him a few pills. "They'll get rid of the headache."

How did she know about the headache? Gaara shook his head then groaned. It wasn't worth thinking over. At least not at the moment. He struggled to get to his feet and immediately sought a wall to cling to. The bathroom never looked so far even though it was only a few feet from his door.

The cold floor felt good. He didn't even bother taking off his clothes before turning on the cold water to the shower and sinking into the bottom of the bath tub. Gaara struggled to remember what had happened a few nights earlier but he didn't remember anything at all. He rubbed his eyes and noticed that there was dried crust in them. Had he slept? Surely, everyone would not be acting so calmly if the Shukaku had come out but sleep is impossible so… The headache pounded on his skull to tell him to shut up. Gaara complied and lied in the tub, one leg hanging out.

Kankurou found him like that five minutes later as he came inside to brush his teeth. He grinned as he remembered all of the things that they had done. To think that deep down inside, deep, deep, deep down inside and hidden in the form of a demon, Gaara was actually a party animal. It made Kankurou feel proud of his little brother. He walked over to the bath tub and looked down. Gaara's eyes were closed.

"You look like crap," he greeted smiling. Gaara opened an eye to a slit.

"I'll kill you."

Kankurou smiled. "Yep, same old Gaara. Had fun these last couple of days, eh?" Kankurou began to brush his molars, hand in pocket as he drilled Gaara. In spite of the hateful glare in his eyes, he could tell that even blinking was a labored task. He couldn't so much as kick sand at him.

"Stop…yelling."

"Huh? I'm not."

"My head is imploding."

"That's what a hangover feels like," Kankurou said a matter-of-factly.

"What?"

Kankurou walked over to the sink and spit. He then sat on the counter and clasped his hands together as he leaned on his thighs. Gaara was sitting up by now. He looked like how a wet cat felt: a mess. "Hehe. Don't remember a thing do you?"

Gaara turned off the water and crawled out of the tub to lie on the floor as a soggy mess. "Not a thing. What happened to me?" Kankurou sighed and walked out of the bathroom, he came back with a towel and some clothes for Gaara.

He knelt down and started drying his baby brother off. "Well, you got into a drinking contest with Old Maid Tsunade." He paused in the drying of his hair. "You won by the way." He resumed. "Well, you passed out and I was going to take you home when you woke up…well…" He put the towel in his lap and started tugging at Gaara's shirt. Instinctively Gaara's raised his arms and the shirt slipped over his head. "Well, the Shukaku woke up. You were still passed out."

Gaara whirled around. "The Shukaku! Wha-Aaaaeeeeeh…."He held his head and sank back in Kankurou's arms.

"Take it easy, shrimp. You'll hurl if you make any quick movements like that." He put the new shirt on Gaara and began doing the buttons. "Yeah, so it was the Shukaku. I didn't know. I just thought you were drunk and wanted to party. It was a lot of fun, you know. You and me went to a few bars. Met a few ladies." He winked at Gaara who was staring at him with a look of sheer disbelief and amazement. "Sorry it had to end…" He gave Gaara the towel and stood up. "You do the rest. I'll go make you some breakfast."

Gaara blinked. Did Kankurou just…bond with him. He dried his hair, gave him a shirt and…Did he just say he was going to make breakfast? The young boy finished drying off and getting dressed then proceeded to give himself a good looking over in the mirror. He still had red hair, he still had the love kanji written into his fore head. His eyes were still green and rimmed in black. He touched his neck. He had a few small red marks on it. "Eh?"

Temari walked by and saw Gaara craning his neck in the mirror. "Gaara, what's the matter?"

"Look…I have a rash or something." She walked over and rolled her eyes.

"This is what you get for drinking!" Gaara winced at her loud voice. "Those aren't rashes, those are hickies."

Gaara blinked. "Hickies? What the hell is that??"

"You get those from making-out."

"Making out what??"

"With girls, Gaara." Temari disgustedly grabbed his wet clothes and the towel to take them away. "Kissing. You get those from kissing."

Something in Gaara's stomach did a flip. His first kiss and he had missed it entirely. No…the Shukaku had stolen a precious part of his life. "GOD DAMMIT!" He noticed a sparkle in his ear. "Eh??" It was an earring…four to be exact and three in the other. "EH???"

Kankurou poked his head in as Gaara fingered the piercing. "Oh, we got those together on the first night. I only got two but you…uh… the Shukaku went kind of crazy I guess. Suits you though."

Gaara sank down, looking at his reflection with apprehension. Who was he now? What had the demon inside of him made him do? Made him miss? What the hell was going on?

"We got them right before we went to karaoke," Kankuro gave him the headache pills sitting on the counter and some water. Gaara stared at his older brother.

"I karaoke?"

"And you sing really good."

"I sing?"

"And that's when you got the hickey on your chest."

"I got a ….a hic-….where?"

"Take your medicine you'll feel better." He forced the pills in Gaara's mouth but Gaara willingly took the water. "We went dancing too."

"I DANCE?!" There was a knock at the door. Gaara fell down and lied on his back. He drank, danced, sang, made out, got pierced, and heaven knows what else. But why couldn't he remember anything? Not a tidbit of the memory remained. "I…karaoke?…I'm a good kisser?…"

Down the stairs, an angry looking older man was at the door. "I'm the accountant for Shinobi's."


	7. The End! A Fond Farewell to Konoha

"I'm the accountant for Shinobi's. Your son-"

"Brother," Temari corrected.

"Well, your _brother_ owes us this much." Kankurou shot out of the kitchen and looked over Temari's shoulder. He knew it was too good to be true.

Temari sighed. "Well, this isn't too bad. Could have been worst." She moved her fingers and five more folds came out, filled with zeros and one cent at the end. Temari's hair stood on end and Kankurou felt the blood leave his face and go straight to his soles. "Ow ow ow ow ow…" Temari kept repeating.

Kankurou grabbed the bill. "B-but…I saw Gaara pay this! I was write there!"

The man growled and pulled out a small money pouch. "Oh…he paid all right. In this." Kankurou took the purse and looked inside. It was filled with leaves and sand. The Shukaku had made money out of sand and leaves using his chakra. It was genius and dangerous all rolled up into one.

Temari shook with anger. "Take it up with the Hokage! I was her fault in the first place! I think fitting her with the bill is an appropriate punishment for encouraging underage drinking!" She slammed the door and clenched her fist.

Gaara came down looking confused. "What was that all about?"

"Last night, we went to _Shinobi's_, little brother." Gaara's jaw dropped.

"We…went…to the best restaurant in world and I missed it?" Kankurou nodded. "Kill me."

"It wasn't that great really," Kankurou lied trying to console his brother. It was the best food and service he was likely to ever have in the rest of his miserable life. When he died, he wanted to go to _Shinobi's _not heaven.

There was another knock at the door. When they opened it a fuming Naruto was standing there. He pointed at Gaara. "YOU BASTARD!!!" Naruto pounced on Gaara. "You got half of Konoha mad at me!!" Gaara looked wide-eyed in confusion.

"Naruto. I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't pretend with me. I heard from Tsunade all about the pranks you pulled! Everyone that it was me! Give me one good reason not to-"

Gaara looked pitiful. He had inadvertently caused one of the few people that could like him trouble. Naruto loosed his fist and just sat on Gaara's chest looking confused. "Naruto, I'm really sorry but that…I wasn't myself." He sighed and closed his eyes. The blond shinobi was even more confused.

"Ah…Hey, hey. Why are you acting so weird lately?" Naruto crossed his arms.

"I…I got drunk." Naruto's usually narrow eyes widened and a grin slithered across his face. Gaara tried to sit up. "Hey, get off, would you."

"Hehehe…You got drunk? I got it. I got it. You can't hold your liquor. Well, if you ask me someone who's really weak shouldn't drink." He got off of Gaara and whistled out the door. A skunk wobbled in. "It was really clever of you to use skunk pheromones to lure this skunk to me but I quickly realized that was what you had done and turned into an ultimate new attack." He nodded wisely also omitting that it was Shino that figured it out and Kiba that helped him with the attack.

Temari held up her hand. "Ah…Naruto…."

"Kusai! Use your ultimate marking technique!"

Kankurou gasped. "YOU IDIOT! NO!!"

_( . )_

The Siblings of Sand were on their way home. Gaara was trudging along behind them looking defeated. He had been drunk, hit, sprayed by a skunk, then soaked into tomato sauce. It was a bad, bad day. Temari was rather pissed since she didn't get to hug Shikamaru good-bye. (He said he was allergic to skunks and bad smells in general.) Kankurou was just glad to be going home.

He started humming a song that they had done a duet of during karaoke. If you could ignore the bad stuff that happened it wasn't such a bad time. Temari got to be disgusting with her boyfriend, Kankurou got to party, and Gaara got to sleep. And Naruto made up another stupid but surprisingly effective technique. He sniffed his shirt and winced. It still smelled.

From behind, Kankurou hear a soft noise. Gaara was looking down at the ground but his lips were moving. He was singing. The middle-child smiled and slowed his pace a little so that he could hear a little better. "_Tension is building inside, steadily-y…Happy thoughts forcing their way out of me-e…"_ Kankurou continued to hum and put his hand on his little brother's head. "Sorry. I can't get that song out of my head for some reason."

"It's a good song. Want it? I have it at home." Gaara looked up and had a memory of him an Kankurou laughing and singing. He remembered some other things too. He had a good time with his brother, he realized.

"Ah…" he nodded his head. "Un. I'd like that. Think we could go back to _Shinobi's_ sometimes?" Gaara asked, looking hopeful.

Kankurou smiled down at him. "Not a chance a in hell, little brother. Not a chance in hell." He patted Gaara on the back.

So it is owari! . ;;; Shameless plug of Linkin Park because I am fan girl and I couldn't pull a song out of my booty so...Props to LP! Go listen to their CDs NOW! NOW!

So I'd like to say thanks to all of the people who reviewed this writing. It makes me full of joys and happies. I promise to spell check and proof read all my work soon.


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